Long before his general recognition in the 1990s, Joe Henderson was admired by jazz audiences and all but worshipped by saxophonists. A player whose absolute command of the horn is equaled by the fecundity of his artistic vision, Henderson emerged in the early 1960s as an independent voice. He was neither overwhelmed by John Coltrane nor attached to the Coleman Hawkins or Lester Young schools. Mistakenly described early in his career as "primarily a soul saxophonist," his stock in trade was lyricism and harmonic daring contained in a sheath of rhythmic muscle. Of his several Milestone recordings of the 1960s, Tetragon stands as a major item in the Henderson discography. His rhythm sections for the album were made up of five of the most accomplished and adventurous young players of the day.